Argh.... another keiki

[H.L]

Just steaming off my frustration over here :mad: :mad:

First I thought it is a flower spike, but it turns out to be a keiki. No flower for me this year. Just hoping the mother plant won‘t die.

[PaphMadMan]

The plant looks basically healthy. Why would you worry about it dying?

If you have been babying it, it may be time for some tough love. Stop fertilizing. Brighter light. A period of cool nights if possible.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I second the above recommendations - especially gradual introduction into somewhat brighter light, and exposure to cooler temperatures (night no lower than 55 F).

[H.L]

From what i read, the birth of a keiki = the death of its mother. This makes me worry.

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[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by H.L

From what i read, the birth of a keiki = the death of its mother. This makes me worry.

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Definitely, absolutely, not true. It is natural for nearly all Phal species to have keikis, either eventually developing multiple crowns as this may be doing, or as plantlets that develop on spikes. Spike keikis may mean the plant isn't getting the right conditions to flower, but that doesn't mean it is unhealthy, and some just get them easily in addition to flowers. Base keikis are just the normal growth pattern in most cases. In a weak, already dying plant it may be a desperate attempt to survive, but this is a healthy plant just doing what comes naturally for the conditions.

[H.L]

It is definitely a keiki.. and i still have mixed feeling.

[Selmo]

We have a phal. that flowers every year and will produce keikis as it is flowering or right after as the last blooms are fading on the flowering spike. Many of the keikis will flower while still on the the spike after a few months, have had the mother plant and the keiki in bloom at the same time. Kind of a strange sight. But what makes you so sure that it is a keiki, looks like it could be just a flower spike.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Worrying that your plant has a keiki is sort of like worrying that your fruit tree has more than one branch. Most healthy Phalaenopsis will eventually form basal keikis, which at essentially branches. As each branch can bloom when large enough, branching is a good thing. Leave the keikis attached for a healthier plant.